USE OF STATE-OWNED PROPERTY
As a general rule, an employee may use UTSA property and assets
only for state purposes; personal use of university property is prohibited.
Incidental personal use of UTSA e-mail, a state telephone
to make a local telephone call, or the Internet, provided that the use
complies with applicable UT System policies and does not result
in additional cost to UT System, is permissible.
Employees should direct any questions about the use of UTSA
property to their supervisors.
Additional information may be found at
http://www.utsa.edu/hop/Chapter8/8-12.cfm
(Information Resources Use and Security Policy)
http://www.utsa.edu/hop/Chapter8/8-8.cfm
(Campus Mail)
http://www.utsa.edu/hop/Chapter8/8-13.cfm
(Appropriate Use of the Internet)
http://www.utsystem.edu/policy/ov/uts165.html.
(UT System Use and Protection of Information Resources).
| Q: I am a volunteer for the United Way of
San Antonio. May I use my UTSA computer
and copy machine to produce materials
for United Way? |
| A: No. While UTSA encourages employee
involvement in the community, UTSA
resources may not be used to support
external organizations. |
| Q: My son calls me each day when he gets home
from school. Since it’s a personal call on a
UTSA-owned phone, am I breaking any rules? |
| A: No. As a general rule, the personal use of any
UTSA property or asset is prohibited; however,
incidental personal use that complies with
applicable UTSA policies and does not result
in additional costs to the university is okay. |
| Q: I am involved with various professional
societies and use e-mail while at work
to communicate with such societies.
Is this okay? |
| A:Yes, as long as the professional societies
relate to your work at the university.
Remember that use of the Internet by
university computers is limited to activities
directly related to education, research, and
institutional or administrative purposes. You
should also note that non-university data
should not be stored on UTSA servers. |
COMPUTER SOFTWARE
Employees who use software licensed to UT System or to UTSA
must abide by applicable software license agreements and may copy
licensed software only as permitted by the license. Unauthorized duplication
of copyrighted software is a violation of federal copyright law. It
is illegal to install licensed software on more than one computer, unless
the license expressly provides for more than one installation. Employees
should direct questions about applicable software license agreements
to their supervisors or the Office of Information Technology.
In accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, most
software, music and video files are protected by law. Illegally copying,
downloading, sharing and storing of copyrighted files on UTSA
equipment is strictly prohibited. Installing Peer-to-Peer (P2P) filesharing
software on UTSA computer equipment is also not allowed
and will soon be illegal on all state-owned computers.
More information on the Governor’s Executive Order relating
to peer-to-peer file-sharing software is available at
http://www.governor.state.tx.us/divisions/press/exorders/
rp58/view.
| Q:My budget doesn’t allow for everyone to have a
copy of a software program. Is it okay to copy the
program from someone else’s computer and put it
on mine? |
| A:No. This is a violation of federal copyright laws.
Check with the Office of Information Technology to
determine whether a cost effective site license is
available for the program. |
| Q: What types of files are covered by copyright law? |
| A: Most music files (MP3, AAC, etc.) and movie/video
files (DivX, etc.) are copyrighted. |
| Q: Can I legally copy music from a CD I purchased
to my MP3 player? |
| A: Yes, you are allowed to copy the music you
legally own to another device. |
| Q: What is Peer-to-Peer (P2P) software, and
why is it not allowed on UTSA computers? |
A: P2P applications are software packages that
allow thousands of computers to interconnect
and share media files—most of the files on
these services are being illegally shared. Also,
these types of software programs often install
hidden spyware and adware on users’ computers. |
INFORMATION SECURITY AND CONFIDENTIALITY
Every UTSA employee has a responsibility to maintain the security
and confidentiality of university information resources, to prevent
accidental or unauthorized disclosure, and to comply with information
security policies and procedures. Note that student records and
health records are subject to additional legal safeguards. An employee
may access or disclose confidential and sensitive information only as
permitted by contract, state or federal law/regulation, the scope of
employee’s employment, or approved by UTSA policy.
Additional information may be found at
http://www.utsa.edu/infotech/SP/Security/index.htm.
| Q: While typing some employment records,
I noticed that a new employee is now
married to my ex-husband. May I talk
with her about it? |
| A: Unless she or someone else tells you that she
is now married to your ex-husband, you may
not disclose to her that you saw the information
on her employment records. |
| Q: My neighbor asked me to look up some
information on her daughter-in-law using the
DEFINE System. May I do this for her? |
| A: No. This information is strictly confidential. |
COMPUTER SYSTEM ACCESS AND PASSWORDS
No employee may knowingly access a computer, system or
network without the consent of the authorized system authority, nor
may any employee intentionally or knowingly disclose a password,
identification code, debit card or bank account number, or other
confidential information about a computer or information security
system without the consent of the owner or system authority. Users
are responsible for unauthorized access to information resources that
results from their negligence in maintaining the confidentiality of their
password or other authenticating information or device.
Additional information regarding computer access, passwords and
other confidential information may be found at
http://www.utsa.edu/infotech/SP/Security/index.htm.
Q:When I was out yesterday with a cold, I called
my secretary and asked her to check my email;
however, to do this I had to give her my
password. Was this wrong? |
| A:Yes. It is a violation of university policy to
disclose your computer password. Computer
passwords should be considered highly
confidential and should never be given to
anyone. Information that is protected by
passwords could then become vulnerable to
damage, theft or disclosure. However, you can
give your secretary permission to view your
e-mail by changing your Outlook
settings. If you need help with this, call
the Information Technology Help Desk. |
| Q:I have trouble remembering passwords,
so I just use my initials. Is this wrong? |
| A:Yes. A trivial or easily guessed password
provides very little protection against
unauthorized access to university resources.
The university’s security rules require that you
use a complex password such as a
combination of letters, numbers and
punctuation symbols, even if it’s initially
difficult to remember. |
PURCHASING
No employee may expend UTSA funds for any purchase unless the
person is trained and authorized to make the purchase, and unless
the purchase is made in accordance with all institutional purchasing
procedures, including those concerning Historically Underutilized
Businesses. Purchases from or sales to an employee of supplies, materials,
services, equipment or property, (except purchases made at a
public auction) must have the prior approval of the Vice President
for Business Affairs and the appropriate UT System Executive Vice
Chancellor or the Chancellor. Any such purchases shall be made only
if the cost is less than from any other known source. Questions about
purchasing regulations may be directed to the Office of Purchasing
and Distribution Services.
Additional information may be found at
http://www.utsa.edu/purchasing/.
| Q: A vendor has offered me an extraordinary price
of $5,200 for two computer systems. May I
commit to this purchase? |
A: No. This request exceeds the established
bid limit and must be routed to the Office of
Purchasing and Distribution Services. Only the
Office of Purchasing and Distribution Services
has the authority to complete orders over the
bid limit. |
| Q: May I create two orders of $2,600 each
for two different computers? |
| A: No. This is order splitting. That is, splitting the
purchase in order to avoid the bid limit. The
intended purchase must be combined into
one purchase order and sent to the Office of
Purchasing and Distribution Services. |
| Q: I would like to place an order for radioactive
chemicals. Since the purchase is under the bid
limit, may I process this request myself? |
A: No. The request must be routed through the
Office of Purchasing and Distribution Services
because radioactive chemicals are “restricted
purchases” and require the approval of other
UTSA offices. Contact the Office of Purchasing
and Distribution Services for a complete listing
of items that are “restricted purchases.” |
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